MEANING & HISTORY
What does Isabela mean?
Isabela is a Latinate form of Isabel, ultimately belonging to the Hebrew Elisheva or Elizabeth family. The conventional interpretation concerns God and an oath.
The Philippine province Isabela was named for Queen Isabella II, but that geographical fact does not establish why an individual received the personal name. Its single l is an established spelling rather than a missing letter.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Tagalog
- /ʔisaˈbela/Standard-Tagalog
- [ʔɪ.sɐˈbɛː.lɐ]Standard-Tagalog
I · sa · be · la4 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Cebuano
- /ʔisaˈbela/
- [ʔɪ.s̪ɐˈbi.l̪ɐ]
I · sa · be · la4 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
TagalogEtymology & source
Borrowed from Spanish Isabela. Named after Isabella II of Spain.
a female given name from Spanish
Wiktionary: Isabela (Tagalog) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
CebuanoEtymology & source
Borrowed from Spanish Isabela. Named after Isabella II of Spain.
a female given name from Spanish
Wiktionary: Isabela (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
Borrowed from Spanish Isabela. The province is named after Isabella II of Spain. Doublet of Isabelle.
A female given name from Spanish.
Wiktionary: Isabela (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
SpanishEtymology & source
a female given name, variant of Isabel
Wiktionary: Isabela (Spanish) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Isabela in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Isabela
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Isabel♀My God is an oath
- Isabella♀My God is an oath; Isabel-family form
- Isabelle♀French form of Isabel, in the Elizabeth family
- Adela♀Noble; from the Germanic adal element
- Estela·Star; Spanish and Portuguese form of Estelle
- Gisela♀Pledge or hostage
- Ismael♂God hears or God will hear
- Israel♂Traditionally “one who wrestles with God”
What rhymes with Isabela?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Explore Isabela further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabela (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabela (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabela (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Isabela (Spanish) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Isabela (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.
- Behind the Name: isabela (opens in a new tab)
Independent onomastic comparison and qualifications to the proposed origin.
- Wiktionary: Isabel (opens in a new tab)
Related-name or lexical step in the specifically described formation; exact-spelling relationship is cited separately.
- Wiktionary: Elizabeth (opens in a new tab)
Related-name or lexical step in the specifically described formation; exact-spelling relationship is cited separately.